I was honored to be invited to the sneak peek of writer/director Ernesto Quintero latest documentary, A Sacred Journey. It is a painful, arduous journey of a man who is diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease and given only three years to live; a man who chose life beyond his three year death sentence because of the love of his family and for his two kids. It is a very personal story for Ernesto — it is the story of his brother Juan.
The intimate screening was held at the Arenas Group screening room filled with an eclectic mix of friends, family, cast/crew, and production and distribution execs. Among the attendees were Ernesto’s older brother Roberto Quintero; East West Bank’s John Li, Jessica Partida of the ALS Golden West Chapter, AltaMed’s Ozzy Sandoval; post production facility Filmlook’s Anna Cordova; writer/actor Enrique Castillo, and Cinema Libre Studio’s COO Richard Castro. A Sacred Journey’s composer Arturo Solar and producers Yvonne Jimenez and Daniel Haro who led the Q&A.
A Sacred Journey deals with a disease that does not differentiates between races. It deals with the universal topics of strength of family and the desire to live, and that is the reason this documentary will connect with all audiences. It is about the triumph of the spirit. However, it goes beyond. For me the relatability of this documentary extend to community, the Latino community which plays a big part in the story. Juan’s community is Lincoln Heights (northeast of downtown L.A.), a community vibrant with culture, parks, paleteros and murals and in this case the message is that community can also help heal. It is not often, heck I don’t remember another documentary (or movie for that matter) about ALS, where our community mattered.
The courage that Juan, his family and Ernesto have exhibited in allowing Juan’s journey to be filmed is admirable. The years which have ensued since the diagnosis have been painful for all involved, but out of that comes a gift to audiences. A Sacred Journey along with the story of Love, brings to light that ALS exists in our communities, and the choices Juan and his family had to make, as difficult as they sometimes are. The choice Juan ultimately made is a courageous one. Only 3% of all ALS patients make the choice to live. He did it for his children, but we all benefit by watching his story.
As for Ernesto filming this documentary has been a cathartic experience, one that changed the course of his life and saved him.
The truth is, this documentary has been one of the most challenging and yet rewarding projects of my life. It’s a deeply personal story that not only follows my brother and family’s path of healing, but pushed me to face my own life choices. Sometimes we don’t know how valuable we are to one another until something happens.”
Throughout the process Ernesto has been posting videos on how to deal with the different stages of the progression of ALS. This in itself is another unique way that community benefits, a look on what to expect and how you can try and handle it. You can find the videos on The Sacred Journey Facebook
The filmmakers are currently raising the last monies needed for post production. The goal is a release in 2017. If you would like to help you can contact them through Facebook.
Bel Hernandez is an influencer who has over 25 years in the entertainment industry. She has been called the Godmother of Latino Hollywood by MovieMaker Magazine.
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